Is there anything you can do? Yes, DG, there is: The tactful way to show your appreciation to someone you've masturbated about is by making an anonymous donation to a worthy charity in his or her name. (I made a large donation to the American Society for the Preservation of Boyish, Shaggy-Haired Men in the names of Andy Samberg and Daniel V.)

There probably aren't many people who are loyal readers of both Savage Love and the Economist, but I am one. In the January 5 issue of the Economist there is a subtle reference to santorum—yes, santorum in the Savage Love sense.

"The fall of Rick Santorum, Pennsylvania's junior senator, is even more eagerly anticipated by the American left. Mr. Santorum is one of America's most-articulate opponents of all things permissive. His six children are homeschooled; he opposes stem-cell research; he feels that sodomy should be outlawed; he favors national service. James Dobson, the head of Focus on the Family, an evangelical group, praises his "integrity, vision, and unwavering commitment to the principles and beliefs upon which the United States was founded." Meanwhile, gay activists use his name to denote something indescribable in a family newspaper."

Congratulations.

Brad B.

Thanks to everyone who wrote in about the reference to santorum in the Economist. With any luck Senator Santorum, that conservative fucktard, will soon be out of office and remembered only for his singular contribution to the sexual lexicon. One quibble with the Economist, however: It's not just gay activists who are using Santorum's name to denote something indescribable in a family newspaper. (This ain't no family newspaper: Santorum is that frothy mix of lube and fecal matter that is sometimes the byproduct of anal sex.) Plenty of straights have anal sex and, therefore, occasion to use the term.

Oh, and speaking of conservative fucktards: My condolences to all the sane people in Canada—the majority in Canada—who voted against your new prime minister, conservative fucktard Stephen Harper. Just as we will somehow survive George W. Bush's reign of error down here, we trust that you will survive Harper's—hopefully with your gay marriages, sensible drug reforms, and Kyoto treaty obligations intact.